The books are actually referenced in series. Dirk once met Thor, and had a mystery involving a couch. These were from the plot of the novels, implying that the novels happened at some point before the series began.
Although.... Dirk in the novels was... different. Hinted in the show that he might have even been a different person. Definitely a smoker (there's an opening scene in the novel where he opens a hole in the clothes he's sleeping under, lights a cigarette, sucks it down to the filter, and lights another before bothering to fully wake up). Oh, and Zen Navigation (following someone wherever they go based off the theory that they know where they are going and therefor following them will get him to where he wants to go.)
Additional tack on: Watch the intros. Pay attention to the background music. Everything is interconnected. And you might just get what you deserve...
People have been arguing about this since Basic D+D. It wasn't settled when TSR added and then removed the Comeliness attribute.
You're not going to undo a half century with a forum post.
True indeed.
Personally, I always use Charisma as a purely mental stat covering such nebulous things as self identity, general likeability, and pure charm. Much like intelligence and Wisdom, there is so much crossover in the mental characteristics category anyway that it's often hard to define any of them. Wisdom is (by dictionary) a Love of Knowledge, and by RPG more of a common sense stat. (the red box called intelligence the ability to identify those drops of water coming from the sky as rain and Wisdom as the knowledge that you should probably get out of it. Paraphrased, of course). Pathfinder describes victims of Charisma loss as becoming more withdrawn and less outgoing, traits that could apply more to a bravery drain than Charisma.
And add to that the fact that what appeals to one race may not appeal to another, let alone to individuals. Sure, that dragon's crest and horns look impressive and regal like a crown to say the standard humanoid, but to the other dragons, maybe they view it as a birth defect to have horns like a prey species? Orcs are known to like scars, but the unscarred high Charisma sorcerer is somehow prettier to them than the sliced up face of an old warrior?
By the opposite end of things sometimes in modules you have to simplify things (the whoozit of wherever flirts with the highest Charisma because they are the prettiest). The comeliness stat was... an idea. It was also a huge mess. First Ed. AD&D had Charisma modified by com, com modified by Cha, and all sorts of specifics for multiple situations. (racial modifiers because dwarves hated elves and vice versa, etc...) Of course, this was also an era when the stat caps were different for male and female characters...
Summary: It's a mess, it's going to be a mess,best play it fast and loose rather than get caught up in the morass.
Fewer lookie loos asking what in the world we're doing every fifteen seconds. Dice for sale for that one player that inevitably forgets theirs (at least until they have a dozen or so sets bought last minute). Depending on the management, alowances to read books you didn't bring with you (always expect to pay for what you break/rip, spill soda on, etc...). Also in the management arena, reduced likelihood of being chased off for taking up space that can be used for paying customers (generally during prime hours, especially Fridays and Weekends). My shop also has terrain for use on my map if I want. And forget not the classic: People what game. Back in olden times before everything was online, we used to post a notice asking for players on the FLG's handy bulletin board. Some of us over the age of 40 still prefer that method.
And if you have a cafe that does this all for you, too (I hear the larger cities are starting to spawn things like board game cafes), then great! Me, I don't have that. I've played in Denny's(es? How do you pluralize a proper name that's also a possessive???) Homes, game stores, and once even a rented office space. Basically, there are pros and cons to each
And this is why I never have absent players' characters present.
I've been told a few times that "your character does this" by a DM. I've hated every single one of those times. Why the hell am I even there if I don't even get to play my character? It is some of the worst moves a DM can make. I'm not talking about in-game mind controlling, I'm talking about s@!$ty DMs who can't run a game without hard-core railroading.
I'm personally glad for you that you always have that option. Myself, I can't count how many times I've had to stop a session mid-dungeon and have had to stop mid-fight a few times. So the group is prepared to step into the next room but it isn't time for a rest yet? Great! And the sorcerer can't make the next game? Are you really going to send the unarmored one back alone to the entrance and hope nothing goes wrong? Let alone how does he mysteriously find the group again when he makes the next session?
I've had at least six sessions end in the middle of a major fight. How do you account for the man in a heavy armor and shield holding the horde at bay from the wizard just suddenly disappearing when his player has to go on a business trip (vacation, whatever)?
Taking over a character when the player is absent is NOT railroading. Personally, I try to avoid making choices (I let the players decide what happens to the absent player, with right of veto). That being said, I don't allow death wish characters in my game to begin with. Several above posters have pointed out that it just isn't fun for anyone, and as a GM, it makes it hard to design adventures that are still a challenge without the possibility that one of the players will decide now is the time to cash in that honorable death card. Heroic sacrifice is one thing, a death wish another. Those characters that DO develope death wishes, I talk to the players and either arrange said death a.s.a.p., arrange a work-through also a.s.a.p., or just have the character leave the group to make way for a new character.
And I would ask if that was part of the problem as well. Are you tired of your inquisitor? You say he is the only original player left. Do you find yourself wanting to play a new character? Do you want that epic death first, maybe? Talk to your GM about it, and maybe you can work something out.
However, and this is the caveat I issue all my players: If you aren't present at the game session, expect your character to act different. We aren't you, and can only guess.
Furthering that caveat: Epic things are going to happen in the game. If it is a character specific epic plot point, I will try and avoid it until that characters player is there. (I would assume this is part of what your GM did. Avoiding the epic death until you are there for it. No point making a memorable moment for the person who isn't there to remember it...)
Back in college I played in a group where I was the only male player. Currently I am GMing a group with two women, and another for my niece and nephew where there are three girls to one boy.
FYI, those little girls are vicious. One is a dwarf with a penchant for blunt trauma to anything with a visible head, and my niece runs a druid with a (in her words) bloodstained white kitty of doom.
Where the hell were these girls when I was twelve?
A quick look through here and I didn't see one of the more subtle aspects of wizards over sorcerers. Freee scribe scroll feat at first level. This cuts down on the reliance of found treasures and purchased items. Have a utility spell you like to keep handy but don't want to waste a spell slot on? Spend some down time and scroll it. Want to have a back-up blast of some sort (say lightning bolt instead of the fireball you memorize standard), write one on a scroll.
Further, free item creation or metamagic feats as a wizard mean that either your base spells have a greater level of versatility through metamagics (Yes, bloodlines can grant specific feats at specific levels) or you have a steady manner of making/recharging whatever item you like.
The main advantage my players like from the sorcerer is the limited number of spells. To them it is easier to have a limited list rather than thinking about what spells to memorize every day/adventure/whatever.
Been running this campaign for the last two years (our group meets infrequently as a lot of us travel for work).
The general advice is pretty much all spoilers, too, so just to be safe...
just in case...:
The biggest problem I see as a GM is the ease with which players can bypass Damage Reduction at later levels of the game. Xanthir Vang was taken down in two rounds (after fully buffing him) without the characters spending even half of their surges to activate the path power that allows them to ignore DR (or Spell resistance, as was the case for the one dedicated caster).
Admittedly, this problem was larger about midway through the second book (the assault on Drezen citadel). The fight with Sotlen... g... er... Mythic Chimera they still needed to make strategic use of their points, but with only a few more uses as a party they managed to take on Staunton and Eustoriax a days rest apart and with a full load of surges each. Perhaps I could have ruled it better, but as written they were allowed the chance to rest more or less without penalty between the events.
The other problem is that the main villains need some more support against my group. I've started adding extra mooks (non experience point minion type creatures that can't do much damage to the characters, but enough they can't just be ignored. Most of them die in a single combat round and serve mostly to let the boss get off a cool shot or two to actually threaten my group. admittedly my dice don't help much as I can generally roll higher with a d4 than a d20...) At current level I've started handing out some of the anti-mythic weapons as a standard part of the equipment for any non-mythic opponent that carries a magic weapon to begin with (+2 to hit, +2d6 to damage has made the combats between boss fights more memorable), and it was fun to watch the group try and figure out why they couldn't use Mythic Surges while holding certain weapons that suppress them. It has also helped cut down on my groups tendency to hyper-loot to the point of checking under a minimum 2 levels of flooring and wall cover (just in case. Also, the masonry's worth money, right? As the GM I know otherwise, but cut us some slack, the group's average age here is 40, so we're a bit set in our patterns here)
And finally, my group specifically, has started looking up spells and effects that drain another's mythic power. They seem to have an uncanny ability to home in on Mythic opponents and start absorbing power. In reality, they try to absorb everything, once it succeeds they home in on the one until it stops giving and move along to the next...
So right about now I'm at a point where the game makes sense to have some escaped villains come back, having seen how the group operates, and maybe even having built up a group of their own to help take down those who once defeated them
shrug:
I'm using Staunton to lead a leveled up group keyed to my players' specific weaknesses. I've warned them that at some point they are going to face an encounter specifically designed to shut them down, custom made. It should be survivable with some teamwork and tactics. It is the last task they must face before getting an audience with Nocticula. So it should be within the next three sessions, depending on how long I put it off.
Overall I've been loving this campaign. I can't wait to see what my players do in the latter half of the campaign, and with a little luck they won't find out that the gods play by a whole different set of rules 'the hard way'...
From what I've read here, you've already talked about his playstyle with him, as well as your other players.
What I would want to know is: What's the gaming situation like in your area? Are there other groups around? Maybe he can find one more to his playstyle? Maybe you and your other players can help with that?
My group has a player who has an uncanny ability to powergame by instinct alone. That being said, there are several glaring exceptions to his awesomeness that put him in the position of 'well, I can't cause damage on a crit, I'm not doing anything this turn'. I have another who has a nasty habit of making disparaging sarcastic comments. Not a great combination. Eventually I had to type up a list of actions (Move to flank, aid another, total defense, etc...) with a brief rules summary and gave both a copy. Now my sarcastic player instead suggests, "Why not take a five foot discretionary step to flank with the rogue?" instead of making nasty comments, and the first player... still gets bummed at not dealing (what he considers) enough damage every turn, but still has a good time without functioning as a one man army.
I have also introduced the first player to another DM with a bit higher power player curve. I suspect I'll be losing a player at the end of the AP (or perhaps book), but I'll likely be gaining one from the other group who wants more of his character backstory brought into the game (more my style of GMing).
So, a temporary solution coupled with a GM switch might just get you a handy short and long term solution. Or not. What IS the gaming scene like in your area?
Perhaps we will find out soon. With the current level of technology evolving at a rate greater than that of our species, it may soon be possible that there will not be enough jobs left for our country. We already have robot cars. Visit a Wal Mart (incidentally one of the largest economies in the world), and find a self checkout lane. That takes care of at least a percentage of non-skilled labor, as well as semi-skilled (in the case of driving/piloting). And all without science fiction level AI.
Without jobs, there is no influx of money to consumers. Consumers not spending money means an end to production. So far we are at a level where society, economics, expense, and a few other factors prevent a technological takeover, but eventually the cost is outweighed by the savings. I say this not as a paranoid ranting, but by basic laws of how Capitalism operates. Or rather the mantra of "Cheaper, faster, more". I don't condemn it, it is how we operate. So WHEN the technology replaces a certain percentage of workers, there has to be a fundamental shift in how we, as an economy, operate. Will we eliminate money, allotting each citizen a stipend of goods and services? Will we devise a new enticement to goad people to new business/scientific/whatever ventures? Will we collapse under the weight of political inertia? Will we subsidize the common (ex)worker and otherwise remain much the same? And what of other economies as ours affects them?
An interesting posit. I have no real answers. I doubt anyone does. If history teaches us anything, though, I would wager that we do nothing about it until it is already too late, and then changing as little as possible.
And all that without the magic need killing machine spontaneously creating whatever we need (re: Star Trek's replicators...)
Some feats have prerequisites. Your character must have the indicated ability score, class feature, feat, skill, base attack bonus, or other quality designated in order to select or use that feat. A character can gain a feat at the same level at which he gains the prerequisite.
A character can't use a feat if he loses a prerequisite, but he does not lose the feat itself. If, at a later time, he regains the lost prerequisite, he immediately regains full use of the feat that prerequisite enables.
Most of the time this comes into play when something along the lines of level drain takes away the spellcasting ability of a class, but not the associated feat the character took, or more often when a character loses a virtual feat. Note, however, there are quite a few places where a character can take up a feat that is useless to them. Take the spell focus feat. No prerequisites, so anyone can take it. If you never take a spellcasting class, it is completely useless. Same with Spell penetration.
the PRD wrote:
While some feats are more useful to certain types of characters than others, and many of them have special prerequisites that must be met before they are selected, as a general rule feats represent abilities outside of the normal scope of your character's race and class.
the PRD wrote:
Many of them alter or enhance class abilities or soften class restrictions, while others might apply bonuses to your statistics or grant you the ability to take actions otherwise prohibited to you.
These two phrases (taken from the same paragraph, even) are the heart of this discussion. Certainly racial Heritage (Kobold) would allow you to take Tail Terror, and the second seems to imply that it would allow actual use. However, it is in the benefit section of Tail Terror that its non-use becomes implicit (not explicit). It allows the character to use his tail to make a tail attack. It does NOT allow one to grow a tail, regrow a lost tail, etc. In a similar manner Draconic Heritage does not allow you to spontaneously grow scales before they take on the color and some of the resistances of a chromatic dragon. If some other effect (a curse, side effect, wish, whatever) causes the feat holder to grow scales, a tail, or whatever is needed, then by all means they should be allowed to use the feat they (most likely pointlessly) bought. One might want to adjust damage for size first.
This isn't to say that the combination can't still be abused. One could conceive of a druid with said feat combo shapechanging into a dog and claiming a tail slap attack off that. Not that there aren't more effective manners of getting a tail slap. Better yet, changing into a mouse with a 1d4 tail slap due to lack of damage scaling. ...
...
Can't get the thunder-mouse thought out of my head now...
Anyway, it seems to me that any sort of comprehensive ruling on this would be far too clunky and wordy as there are all sorts of ways it could potentially be abused, but only with a few very specific conditions, or a vast re-write making some of the feats require (race) physiology and some just the race, with those requiring the physiology completely unavailable to those with Racial Heritage. Alternately, make a house rule that fits your game. You want people who paid the cost to get the effect automatically, great! You want them to only have it situationslly, cool! You want them to have to pay for some heritage awakening ritual that leaves them with a non-standard body so they can use it any time they want, o for it! You want the combintion to have no effect what-so-ever, Grand! Just make sure you let your players know before they make the character. As both a GM and a player, I hate finding these things out after the fact.
